Louisiana State Police troopers took Brignac into custody following an investigation by the Louisiana Department of Revenue's Office of Charitable Gaming. The agency conducted an audit of the society's quarterly bingo report and discovered that $72,913 had not been deposited into the organization's checking account, the report said.

Investigators contacted the society which identified Brignac as the person tasked with counting out all of the group charitable bingo receipts and depositing the money, the arrest report said.

"She was an employee," Gretna Historical Society Board Member Machelle Hall said Monday, explaining that Brignac worked on a contractual basis. "The only job she did with us was the bingo."

Brignac had been hired about a year ago to replace a former manager, according to Hall. Investigators determined she failed to make 18 deposits during a six-week period, the arrest report said.

Brignac was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. Bond was set at $75,000. But she was released without bond because of crowding at the jail.

The society isn't sure how the theft will affect their mission, the upkeep of five historical buildings and artifacts in Gretna.

"This will mean we can do less than what we could have done," Hall said.

In the meantime, the society is gearing up for its next big fundraiser, the
Fifth Annual Hook and Ladder Cemetery Tour
on Oct. 21. Visitors can take guided tours of graves and hear about the people buried there from actors dressed in period garb.

Tickets are $20 and can be bought at the Gretna Historical Society, 209 Lafayette St., Gretna, or by calling 504.362.3854.